


'Tis The Damn Season

by Barnesies



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Christmas, Friends to Lovers, M/M, New Year's Eve, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Small Towns, no underage anything
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-04
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-14 23:33:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28553946
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Barnesies/pseuds/Barnesies
Summary: It always leads to you and your hometown.After an awful year punctuated by lies and betrayals, Tony finds his way back to Rose Hill, Tennessee.
Relationships: Harley Keener & Happy Hogan & Tony Stark, Harley Keener/Tony Stark, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark, Past - Pepper Potts/Tony Stark
Comments: 7
Kudos: 14





	'Tis The Damn Season

**Author's Note:**

> No, you're not dreaming, I posted this a few weeks ago... and then, had some sort of panic attack and/or mental breakdown. I'm not too sure, to be honest, but anyway: New Year, New Me. Hopefully.
> 
> This is the Starkner Hallmark Christmas Movie nobody asked for!
> 
>   * Dacre Montgomery as Harley Keener (~19)
>   * Kylie Rogers as Abigail 'Abbie' Keener (~10)
>   * Reese Witherspoon as Amanda 'Amy' Keener (~36)
> 

> 
> **Disclaimer:** Something I realized recently is that not all of you are redditors also you may not know I'm neither 'woke', nor part of the 'purity brigade' of fandoms. Well, I'm definitely not. My Reddit flair is ' _It's just fiction! Chill!_ ' and I mean it. I know I write this ship very differently from literally 99% of other Starkner writers but it merely means this is how I personally see it and like it. (And really, it's my loss because I have nothing to read as a consequence.) But yeah, it's not because I don't enjoy a particular kink, I condemn it or its writers/readers. Also, if you are looking for a safe and open-minded community, I suggest you join us on r/FanFiction. Bullying doesn't rule there.
> 
> Kudos and comments are welcome. Enjoy and Happy New Year!

Tony should have seen it coming.

After all, 2016 had been nothing but Life throwing him the finger. Hell, maybe his californian haters were on to something and Tony was paying his karmic debt. Nothing a couple of minutes of meditation and a few liters of celery juice couldn’t fix, right?

He needed to take a deep breath and release his grip on the countertop before the young woman on the other side decided to call campus security. 

“Sorry, I - ”, Tony said as he let go. “So-ra, right? Can I call you So-ra?”

Tony gave her the best smile he could muster at the time. Yet So-ra still looked shaken as she nodded her consent which only added to Tony’s frustration. He was Iron Man, not the Hulk!

“So-ra, are you positively completely certain there is no Harley Keener enrolled at this university?”, he asked her. Again.

Tony could hear his own desperation in his words. He might have felt the slightest bit embarrassed if his interlocutor wasn’t quite literally shaking in her boots.

“There is no Harley Keener enrolled at our school this semester.”, So-ra repeated.

Tony blinked. 

He didn’t understand. He created an outrageous scholarship for the kid, he talked to the freakin’ Dean to make sure his backwater education wouldn’t play against him and Harley didn’t even bother to enroll?!

Tony opened and closed his mouth, reminding himself it wasn’t the young woman’s fault if his people seemed determined to screw him over. And to be fair, he had no idea if Harley had taken the money and run with it or not.

Something might have happened, someone might have died -

Tony’s blood turned cold. So-ra’s eyes grew wider in answer to whatever she read on his face. 

It couldn’t be. 

Tony left the Information Center without another word, panic rising in his chest as he fumbled with his phone. He purposefully ignored the strange looks he got from passing students.

He couldn’t remember the last time Harley and he talked. Months? Years? Tony had been overly busy since Ultron and Harley was nothing short of independent. 

They usually texted on their respective birthdays but Tony hadn’t replied to anyone this year, still too worked up over what had transpired between Steve and him. And his break-up with Pepper. And his failed tentative at mentoring another teenager.

Harley was supposed to be his one-good-thing in an otherwise shitty year and if something had happened to him while Tony was moping over his dysfunctional family and his quite-terrible love life, he would never forgive himself.

He dialed Harley’s number manually, his throat closing around FRIDAY’s name when he tried to speak, and waited what felt like an eternity for Harley to pick-up, to be disappointed when his call finally went to voicemail.

“Hey, it’s Harley. Sorry, I'm not available right now but leave a message and I’ll call you back asap. If this is about a car, please contact Bobby directly. Bye.”, said a voice Tony barely recognized, leaving him speechless.

And who the hell was ‘Bobby’?

He listened to it again and felt just as lost. He hung up without leaving a message. 

“FRI, what - When’s the last time we heard from Harley? Was it in May?”, Tony managed to ask as he started walking towards the visitors’ parking lot.

“August 24th, 2016.”, FRIDAY answered.

Almost four months ago and a good three months after his birthday text. Peter would have imploded ten times but Harley probably didn’t even think about it.

“Pull it up.”, Tony ordered after a brief pause and she did. 

What he read stopped Tony in his track :

_I really need to talk to you about Uni. I’ll be in New-York next Saturday. Hope we can catch up. x_

So Harley had wanted to talk about it. Enough to make the trip from Rose Hill to New-York while Tony hadn’t even bothered answering his text. Sometimes he still surprised himself as to how much of an asshole he could be.

Tony wondered how Harley had spent his day in the City and his gaze fell on the small x closing the text. He had never seen it before. Not in Harley’s message at least. Probably just a typo. A habit. Still, Tony had to repress the urge to squirm like most times he was faced with some kind of affectionate gesture.

He looked up as if to make sure no one had caught him but he was alone. It was the day before Christmas break and most students had already gone home. He could either imitate them and go back to his empty penthouse… or he could take another impromptu trip to Tennessee.

* * *

It was either a fourteen hours road trip or a four hours flight from Cambridge to Rose Hill.

Tony didn’t hesitate long before abandoning his car in the M.I.T.’s visitors’ parking lot and flying away. Legitimate occasions to suit up were few and far between now he had to justify the use of his armors. Not that it would have been hard for him to sneak around but he tried to keep his newly established resolutions.

He had pretty much reached his destination when he received a call from Secretary Ross. He ignored it. For safety reasons - or at least, that’s what he would tell the man when asked. After all, he had already crashed into Tennessee wilderness once and wasn’t looking forward to repeating the experience. 

The Keeners lived in an old farmhouse on the edge of town. It hadn’t changed much during the past four years, Tony noted as he landed in the field behind the converted barn. 

He found it almost comforting.

Walking in the snow while suited-up proved to be an experience in itself. Something Tony would have to keep in mind when working on his next upgrade.

He eventually made it to the front door and after spending a good minute looking for a doorbell, resolved himself to knock. It didn’t take long for the wooden door to open… on seemingly no one.

“Holy crap!”, someone exclaimed and Tony lowered his gaze to find a gapping little girl standing in the doorway.

“Hi.”, he said, retracting his mask to show his face.

“You’re Iron Man!”, she shot back still visibly shocked.

“Sometimes.”, Tony shrugged. “And you’re Abigail?”

She wrinkled her nose and crossed her arms reminding him of Wanda for a split second.

“Why? Am I in trouble?”, she asked and Tony had to suppress a smirk.

At least, he knew he was in the right place.

“Nope.”, he answered, acting as jaded as ever. “I’m here to see your brother actually. Is he around?”

“Harley isn’t home yet.”, Abbie said before narrowing her eyes and asking: “Is he in trouble?”

“Is he?”, Tony replied and she blinked in confusion.

It did cross his mind he shouldn’t be so proud of getting the upper hand in a conversation with a ten-year-old. But on another hand, he was often accused of being twelve himself so...

“Where is he then? Your brother?”, Tony asked again.

“At Bobby’s garage.”, Abbie said.

“Right and that would be?”, he added after a brief awkward silence.

“In town, across from the dinner.”, Abbie answered, her tone suggesting Tony was an idiot for asking. “Don’t you have a GPS?”

He blinked.

“As a matter of fact, I do.”, Tony said, also he still wasn’t certain Bobby’s garage would be mentioned on an actual map. He forced a smile on his face and thanked his young interlocutor for her help, bidding her a good evening before taking off again.

* * *

Bobby’s garage was on his map.

In fact, it was one of the three buildings pinned and named by his suit’s GPS with the town’s dinner and high school - also how Rose Hill had one was beyond Tony’s understanding.

He landed on the sidewalk in front of the shop. The street was empty except for a group of kids too busy looking at their phones to even notice the superhero standing only a few yards from them.

Tony walked inside before exiting his armor. He shuddered as he stood in the chilly workshop. It was surprisingly big. Enough to welcome four cars and a fair amount of workbenches. All the lights were on and a Christmas song played in the background but he could see no living soul.

He went ahead, discovering the space. It wasn’t before he reached the last car that he caught sight of a pair of jeans-clad legs, as whomever they belonged to seemed to notice his approach : 

“Told you I don’t mind closing the shop, Bobby.”, a somewhat familiar voice said.

“Well, I’ll make sure to tell Bobby, if I ever meet him.”, Tony answered.

There was a ‘bang’ and a ‘cling’, as well as some kind of muttered swear, Tony couldn’t quite make out and he had to turn towards the workbenches to hide his amused expression. 

What a mistake.

Because when he finally looked back, all he could do was stare, mouth slightly agape.

Also, Harley was older, Tony had expected to find some sort of awkward teenager, not unlike Peter. Instead, he found out what Thor and Steve’s son would look like if they ever had one together.

And he was hands down one of the most attractive _men_ Tony had ever seen.

And he had seen a lot.

It took Tony an embarrassing handful of seconds to reboot but, thankfully for him, Harley seemed too shocked to notice. By the time the younger man shooked himself out of it, Tony was able to offer his usual raised eyebrow, as if he had been waiting for him to catch up.

Then Harley smiled and the action was _not_ processed by Tony’s _brain_.

“It’s a her, actually.”, he said.

Tony blinked. 

“Bobby. She is a woman.”, Harley added when Tony didn’t answer.

“My mistake.”, he said after a bit. “But I also thought you were currently studying mechanical engineering at M.I.T. so… I guess I should have expected it?”

Tony really hoped he didn’t sound as hurt as he did to his own ears.

“Oh come on.”, Harley shot back, rolling his eyes. “I texted you. Twice. I came to New-York. What else did you want me to do?”

“You could have called or come to the Tower -”, Tony argued.

“Right, I should have just walked into that fancy building of yours and asked to talk to Tony Stark.”, Harley interrupted him. “I’m sure that would not have gotten me escorted outside by whatever security you have going on.”

“Of course not!”, Tony exclaimed. “They have your name at the front desk!”

He regretted his sudden outburst almost immediately as it was met with silence. He used to be a master in the art of hiding his emotions but since 2012 it had gotten harder and harder and 2016 had been the icing on the cake.

However, Harley didn’t seem angry, nor did he looked at Tony with pity, also his expression had softened considerably.

Just like that small x, it made Tony want to squirm.

He eyed the younger man warily as he crossed the distance between them and stopped only inches away. He was not ready for the other’s arms coming up to hug him.

Harley moved slowly. Slow enough, Tony could have stopped him if he wanted to but instead, he just stood, frozen. Hugs were usually the premise of something bad happening in Tony’s life. His mom dying, his friends betraying him, his girlfriend leaving him...

“I’m sorry.”, Harley whispered, his voice cutting through Tony’s internal turmoil and bringing him back to the moment at hand.

He became aware of the heat coming from the other’s body, the way they were pressed against one another, and the soothing gestures of Harley’s thumb on the nape of his neck. He should have pushed him away, at least verbally, as he did with Peter, coming back from Germany. Instead, Tony felt himself relax in the embrace, hands tentatively reaching out.

Something about the familiar smell of grease and motor oil, mixed with whatever deodorant or perfumed Harley used, quashed his anxiety.

Tony let out a shuddering breath he hadn’t realize to be holding and felt the arm around his waist tighten ever so slightly. 

Harley didn’t say anything and Tony authorized himself to enjoy his newfound feeling of peace a little longer. 

When he finally let go, his companion took a step back, seemingly unbothered by the strangeness of their situation.

“So why are you here?”, Tony asked, after clearing his throat in an attempt at gaining back his countenance.

Harley chuckled and really, it should have been illegal for an almost-nineteen-year-old to look that good.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that?”, Harley answered, sounding as amused as he looked. Also, the way he gazed at Tony from under his stupidly long ‘Captain America style’ eyelashes did absolutely nothing to help Tony stay focused.

“I am here because you are here.”, Tony said matter of factly. “So I guess the real question is: why are we here?”

Harley shook his head before biting down his smile: 

“Then I guess we are here because I thought about it and I decided I didn’t wanna go to college.”, he admitted.

Tony opened and closed his mouth, confused. He had expected some kind of monetary explanation or a desire to take a gap year, not… this.

“But why?”, Tony asked. “Why would you not want to go? You’re… young. And smart and you’d be studying Engineering, not English Literature, it’d be interesting -”

“But I can do that here too. Without spending an outrageous amount of money -” And here they were, Tony thought. “- or my time with more people I won’t be able to relate with.”

“You don’t know that and why do you think I gave you that scholarship?”, Tony shot back.

“Because it’s how you show people you care.”, Harley replied without any hesitation, effectively rendering Tony speechless.

Why had _he_ spent so much money on a shrink when he could have just take a trip to Tennessee?

“I have been working here for four years and teaching myself what Bobby couldn’t on the side.”, Harley added. “I’m sure M.I.T. is a great university, but I’m done with schools.”

Tony, also he wished it to be different, kind of understood where Harley was coming from. He knew being a genius didn’t necessarily made school more enjoyable. He simply thought Harley would have jumped on an occasion to leave his hometown.

“What are you going to do, then? Stay here?”, Tony asked and he tried to suppress the bitterness from his tone, he really did.

Harley merely shrugged.

“I’ll leave eventually.”, he said and Tony frowned.

“Well that’s a shitty plan.”, he stated and Harley gave him a look that suggested Tony was being an asshole. It probably shouldn’t have reminded him of his ex-girlfriend.

“You could leave with me. Tonight.”, Tony added without thinking.

Harley snorted.

“What?”, he asked, obviously convinced Tony was joking.

He wasn’t.

“You could go back to New-York with me.”, Tony repeated.

Harley’s expression morphed from mildly-amused to one of pure disbelief. He opened his mouth but no sound came out and he kept staring at Tony, a multitude of emotions crossing his face as he took in the idea. 

Tony read it in his eyes when he thought of saying ‘yes’ and felt elated for all but two seconds before Harley talked again :

“I can’t.”, he said. “I - My mom needs me. I mean we came up with a system so she doesn’t have to get a sitter for Abbie and I can’t just leave her, she’d have to get a second job again and -”

“Money isn’t a problem.”, Tony cut in, exasperated.

“It isn’t yours.”, Harley shot back, sounding annoyed for the first time that evening.

And as much as he knew he shouldn’t, Tony still took it personally. He was surprised when rather than going on, Harley briefly closed his eyes and sighed. He looked so much older than he was, it was almost frightening. 

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”, he added after a bit. “I - It’s nice to see you and I wish we could do this more often... but we can’t just take your money.”

“Why? Isn’t that what friends are for? Helping each other out?”, Tony said.

“Actually, I think most people avoid talking about money with their friends.”, Harley replied. “And we wouldn’t be ‘helping each other out’ considering I have literally nothing to offer you in return.”

“I’m a billionaire. I already have everything I could wish for -”, Tony started.

“Do you now?”, Harley interrupted him.

The younger man looked straight into Tony’s eyes and he felt like an open book. But hadn’t it always been like that between them? 

“I guess if you really want to do something for me, and if you don’t already have plans, that is, I’d really like you to stay?”, Harley asked after a bit, as he broke the spell by looking away and then back at Tony.

“I don’t think I’m cut out for rural life -”, Tony said, purposefully misunderstanding his interlocutor.

Harley rolled his eyes but looked more amused than anything else :

“I meant for Christmas.”

Tony took a few seconds to think about it. No one was waiting for him at home: Pepper was gone, Rhodey was celebrating with his family, Happy was somewhere in the Caraïbes… On another hand, joining the Keeners’ celebrations was strangely intimate considering he had never actually met Mrs. Keener, illegally crashed in her barn, and involved her son in his quite dangerous endeavor, almost getting him killed at least twice in the time of a single day... Yet Tony wasn’t ready to leave :

“Alright.”

* * *

Tony started regretting his decision almost immediately and kept himself busy by overthinking while Harley put away his tools. He had no idea what ‘normal people’ Christmas celebrations were like. His father and Stane used to turn the holiday into a networking event while he, himself, either spent the night alone in his workshop or partying with strangers.

Or on that one memorable occasion: almost dying in the Middle of Nowhere, Tennessee.

“I hope you’ve got a truck?”, Tony said when Harley closed what had to be Bobby’s office.

“Why? How did you get here?”, the younger man asked, putting on a flannel shirt while he held an aviator jacket between his knees.

Failing to suppress his smile, Tony pointed towards the shop’s door, in front of which his armor still stood. 

Harley froze before crossing the distance between them and the suit, looking as - if not more - fascinated as the first time he saw Tony’s greatest creation up close. Harley brushed his fingers along a metallic arm and Tony experienced a fluttery sensation in his chest. He would have feared an upcoming panic attack if he wasn’t too busy admiring the scene in front of him.

Very few people looked at Tony’s armors and saw them for what they truly were. Harley did.

“It better not be missing a finger.”, Tony falsely warned him after a bit.

Harley threw him a wicked smile over his shoulder, prompting Tony’s blood to go south. He swallowed but otherwise kept his expression neutral.

After another wistful look at the armor, Harley glanced back at Tony and frowned slightly:

“You should probably put this on.”, he said, holding out his jacket.

“What? No, it’s yours.”, Tony replied.

“I’m used to the cold, you on the other hand...”, Harley trailed off, turning on his heels as Tony walked around him to reach the door.

“I can take the cold.”, he protested, mildly annoyed.

He wasn’t that old.

“Without complaining about it during the whole car ride?”, Harley asked, clearly unconvinced.

Tony opened his mouth then closed it again. 

“Didn’t think so.”, Harley said, handing him the offending jacket.

Tony scowled but still put it on. It happened to be slightly too big in the shoulders area, which was another blow to his ego - or at least, that was what he liked to think rather than wonder about Harley’s. 

It smelled like him too.

“What do you wear?”, he enquired.

Harley blinked at him, one hand on the door’s handle.

“What?”

“Perfume?”, Tony added.

“Oh, it’s from the drugstore. Don’t remember what it’s called.”, Harley answered.

Tony caught him biting his lower lips from the corner of his eyes as he glared at the jacket’s collar as if it was insulting him by being so damn cheap. It shouldn't have smelled so damn good.

Tony picked up his phone and reactivated his suit, making it walk ahead of them to Harley’s truck. 

He was grateful for the jacket when the icy evening air hit him for the first time.

* * *

Time flew as they rode back to the farmhouse. They spent most of it bickering about the music: Harley turning on some popular radio as they drove away from the garage. He kept it up until Tony started whining as a particularly awful Christmas song remake exited the car speakers. Then he put on a personal playlist and Tony glared at him when he realized it was mostly composed of good, some even very good, artists and bands. Harley smirked without bothering to look at him.

“You’re an ass -”, Tony stated as they entered the house and walked into the kitchen.

It took him one too many seconds to realize they weren’t alone and Mrs. Keener stood, frozen, only a few feet away.

“As’bsolutely fantastic… mechanic.”, he tried to correct himself as they looked at one another like a couple of deers caught in headlights.

Harley snorted.

“Takes one to know one.”, he replied, unhelpfully.

Tony cringed internally as he built up the courage to extend a hand towards his friend’s mother. She blinked, obviously as - if not more - shocked as he was. It gave enough time for Tony to notice how young she looked. 

She had to be at least ten years younger than him and he had spent the last hour lusting after her son.

If there was such a thing as Hell, he was definitely going there.

“Mrs. Keener, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”, Tony finally managed to articulate before stretching his lips into a polite smile.

“Likewise.”, she said, still fighting for a semblance of countenance as she shook his hand. “And please, call me Amy. I mean if that’s okay, everybody does so, so -”

“And you can call me Mr. Stark.”, Tony interrupted her in an attempt to save her from further embarrassment. “I’m kidding, Tony will do, alright?”

He caught Harley rolling his eyes from the corner of his own, his expression tighter than it was only seconds ago.

“Right.”, Amy chuckled nervously.

Thankfully, Abbie chose that moment to appear and exclaimed :

“See, Mom? I told you I saw Iron Man!”

“We met briefly. She reminded me of the purpose of a GPS.”, Tony said.

Amy paled slightly.

“Abbie -”, she started, clearly thinking her daughter had been impolite if not worse.

“She was right, really.”, Tony cut in to reassure her.

Amy didn’t seem convinced and Abbie pouted under her mother's reproachful gaze. 

Then Harley cleared his throat, successfully catching everybody’s attention.

“I’m gonna go grab a shower.”, he said looking at Tony. “Do you want one?” 

And Tony’s brain froze for an embarrassing amount of time as he asked himself if he had heard Harley right… before he realized the younger man was offering him to take a shower, not to share one with him.

Harley raised an eyebrow at him and Tony faked a cough.

“Right, I mean yes. I could use a shower.”, he said before turning back towards Amy: “If you don’t mind that is?”

“No, of course not.”, she said, sincerely enough.

However, she looked more guarded and Tony wondered how much she had read on his face.

* * *

Tony let his gaze wander on the room. What used to be a barn turned garage had become Harley’s studio as well, the old Mustang replaced by a queen-size bed.

The young mechanic had added in a small bathroom and a kitchenette but the main area was still occupied by his workshop, separated from the rest by the couch Tony had slept on years ago. 

It was nice, and despite his own lavish lifestyle, he could imagine living in such a place. It had everything he needed.

After a few more minutes of exploration, Tony resigned himself to go back into the house. He wasn’t looking forward to more awkward conversations with Mrs. Keener but couldn’t hide in her barn forever - ironically. 

He tried to reassure himself by thinking it couldn’t be worse than the time he met Pepper’s parents.

The joke was on him.

“(...) I just don’t want you to get hurt -”, Amy was saying as Tony slowly opened the door.

He froze.

“Mom -”, Harley sighed.

“I’ve met men like him before -”, she added, ignoring her son's interruption.

“Well that’s funny considering you don’t actually know him -”, Harley tried again without more success.

“You need to know he wasn’t always this… hero.”, Amy concluded.

Tony let out a shuddering breathe as Harley chuckled. A sardonic sound that had nothing to do with the ones Tony had gotten out of him earlier that day.

“I can’t -”, Harley said before pausing briefly. When he spoke again, his voice was firmer, also his exasperation was still audible: “I don’t care about Iron Man, Mom. I care about the man inside the suit and I know he isn’t perfect, but who can pretend to be anyway? Not us, that’s for sure.”

“Harley -”, she started, her tone suggesting she was about to protest against her son's latest statement but he stopped her again: “No, Mom.”

Harley sighed then added: 

“I know you’re just trying to protect me but the truth is; you can’t. Not when it comes to this and definitely not this way. You know me. You made me.” It was almost risible how diplomate he was. “ - And I know myself. I know what I got myself into, I’m ready to face the consequences. So please, let me have this.”

Tony frowned. He wasn’t an expert but Harley sounded like there was much more at stake than a friendly holiday visit. 

What kind of consequences could Tony’s two-days stay really have?

“I don’t like it.”, Amy said after a bit.

“I know. You don’t need to.”, Harley replied and as accepting as his answer was, it clearly implied her feelings weren’t going to affect his choices.

Harley changed the subject after that while Tony barely suppressed the urge to bang his head against the wooden door. He should have gone home or better, not have come at all.

He hadn’t thought. And the worst was, he hadn’t stayed because he missed Harley. He had stayed because he was lonely and rather than a smart kid, he had found a like-minded soul in an attractive adult body. 

He was like a moth around a flame.

* * *

Dinner was a tense affair. Harley and Abbie made most of the conversation. She went on and on about her last day of school, encouraged by her brother, while their mother stared at her plate in silence. Amy was clearly avoiding Tony and he had no idea how to make amends or if he even could.

She had - by all mean - caught him looking at her son and had drawn conclusions he couldn’t even start to deny. She had probably seen a fair amount of Tony’s ‘pre-Pepper’ features in tabloids. He had never bothered hiding his partners and there had been a number of eighteen-years-old-models amongst them. A consenting adult was a consenting adult, also he actually had more criteria than that simple fact, he wasn’t about to expose them to his friend’s mother.

Now, Tony could only hope they would quickly forget about him once he departed. 

He was almost grateful when Rhodey finally called to lecture him :

“You’ve reached Tony Stark, I can’t talk to you -”, he said as he answered.

“Cut the crap.”, Rhodey interrupted him. “Why did you use the suit?”

Tony sighed dramatically.

“I’m visiting a friend for the holiday. Flying there was shorter.”, he admitted.

“You don’t have friends, little less in… Tennessee?”, Rhodey protested, his tone suggesting he thought Tony was bullshitting him.

“I do!”, Tony shot back, offended, which got him a quizzically raised eyebrow from Harley.

They were back in the barn and had been arguing about who got to sleep in the bed when Tony’s phone rang. Harley had taken advantage of Tony’s distraction to start changing the bedsheets. 

“Okay, so what’s their name?”, Rhodey asked, unamused.

“His name... is Harley and he is… a fellow mechanic.”, Tony answered as he tried to sabotage his friend’s progress.

He could sleep on the couch, he wasn’t _that_ old!

“That doesn’t sound made up at all.”, Rhodey deadpanned, just as Harley got tired of Tony mingling with his work and started fighting back.

Tony gapped audibly.

“Did you just hit me with a pillow? _Me_?”

Harley shrugged noncommittally but the sparks in his eyes told another story. They also threatened Tony’s resolutions.

“What if I did?”, Harley asked as Tony heard Rhodey say: “What the hell are you doing -”

“I have to go -”, Tony said to the colonel, all his attention already focused on Harley.

“Wait -”, Rhodey tried.

“Bye, Rhodey!”, Tony concluded as he hung up.

He put his phone back into a pocket of the sweatpants Harley had landed him for the night and opened his mouth but didn’t get to articulate a word as his host hit him one more time.

“Are you serious now?”, Tony exclaimed.

“Depends. Are you gonna let me change the sheets in peace?”, Harley replied.

The answer was no. Tony picked up a pillow, threw it at Harley’s head… and missed. The younger man laughed and retaliated. They fought for a good minute before Tony pulled the half-off bedsheets from under Harley and made him fall on the mattress. He concluded by throwing one of the pillows to his face for good measure before laying down on the bed next to him. Chuckling, Harley sent it back towards him without much strength and it landed between them when Tony punched it away.

“I hate you.”, he grumbled as he realized what exactly they had been doing.

Harley merely snorted at first, obviously unconvinced.

He was probably right to be. 

“You laughed.”, Harley said after a bit, turning towards Tony.

Had he really? He didn’t notice.

Chancing a look at Harley, Tony felt his throat go dry. He hadn’t realized how close they were and there was no ignoring how attractive the other was now. 

Tony’s gaze briefly fell on Harley’s lips before he forced himself to look away.

“I need a drink.”, he muttered, rubbing his palms against his closed eyes.

“Well, there is only one place in town you could get one right now.”, Harley said, sitting up.

Tony opened one eye to look at him and Harley raised an eyebrow in answer. Maybe, just maybe, it wasn’t as much of a bad idea as he thought.

* * *

Getting ready proved to be a challenge in itself.

Harley didn’t bother to leave the room to change while Tony tried and mostly failed not to stare at his exposed six-pack and… pretty much everything else. 

He was so distracted he almost fell on his ass putting on his pair of borrowed jeans. 

He swore, catching Harley’s attention.

“Are you okay?”, he asked. 

Tony grumbled something that sounded like a ‘yes’, too embarrassed to catch his host’s gaze. 

“Do you want a belt? Pants may be a little big -”, Harley added.

“Are you underestimating my ass?”, Tony shot back without thinking.

The younger man blinked, mouth slightly agape, before turning away from him. Tony raised an eyebrow as he caught a faint blush along Harley’s neck and ears that hadn’t been there prior.

“I’m very much not.”, Tony heard him mumbled.

He probably shouldn’t have felt as satisfied as he did.

* * *

Walker’s hadn’t changed one bit since the last time Tony had been there. And now he hadn’t any other more pressing matters on his mind, he had to admit it was decent for a bar in the middle of nowhere.

Harley took a seat at the already busy counter and Tony followed suit. Strangely enough, no one noticed them except for the barman.

“Your Mother knows you’re here?”, the man asked Harley as he eyed Tony suspiciously.

“Yes, Walker.”, Harley replied, obviously exasperated. “Not that it matters considering I’m not doing anything illegal.”

“Technically -”, Tony started.

“Technically, this place is registered as a restaurant.”, Harley said. “Now if you are done, Tony, this is Walker. Walker, Tony. He’ll have a tea and I would like a coke, if you don’t mind, that is?”

Walker sighed but walked away to prepare their drinks. 

“Tea?”, Tony deadpanned.

“Tennessee Tea. It’s mostly whiskey.”, Harley corrected. “They don’t serve other alcohols, except for beers.”

“And you know that because -”, Tony started.

“- I live here.”, Harley completed, frowning slightly. “I don’t drink if that’s what you’re asking. I’m not planning to do it later either. I do want to get out of here eventually.”

He didn’t want to have a bar stool with his name on it like most of the people around them, Tony guessed. It was an easy trap to fall into after all. While he didn’t frequent bars anymore, Tony knew he had a tendency to overindulge in alcohol. 

And 2016 hadn’t helped.

Walker came back with their drinks before Tony could find anything somewhat intelligent to add. He thanked the barman as Harley gave him a fake smile and said :

“Did you say ‘hi’ to my mom for me?”

Tony froze as he was picking up his drink, his gaze traveling from Walker to Harley. 

“Just looking out for you.”, the barman replied after eyeing Tony again.

He walked away without another word and Harley sighed. Tony took a sip of his drink before turning towards his friend who was now busy frowning at his glass. 

“So your dad left you and you developed _Mommy_ Issues?”, he said not without sarcasm.

Harley laughed, both surprised and - weirdly - amused.

“I didn’t.”, he answered looking back at Tony. “I didn’t mind them dating. Hell, he was definitely better than the guy that came before him. Wouldn’t have minded him sticking around. But I don’t need a new dad. Nor dating advice from single people.”

Tony blinked. Was it written on his forehead or did Harley have a well-known habit of dating older men? Also, the first option was embarrassing, the second sparked a feeling of jealousy in him, which he wasn’t ready to fully acknowledge.

He changed the subject. 

They talked about everything and nothing for a while and for once, Tony didn’t have to worry about translating his thoughts. He hadn’t had that since Banner ran away and also Peter could hold a decent science-based conversation, he was still lacking a certain level of assertiveness and self-confidence. 

Of course, it couldn’t last forever.

“Keener!”, a somewhat familiar voice exclaimed in his back and Tony caught his friend tensing minutely. “Hey, I’m talking to you! What are you doing here?”

Harley ignored whomever that was and took a sip of his drink.

“Got yourself a new boyfriend?”, came next and things clicked in Tony’s mind.

He turned around on his stool and found none other than E.J. and two of his ‘friends’ standing a few feet away from them. The bully opened his mouth to add something but then looked at Tony. He paled considerably and took a step back as he recognized him.

He would have been offended if the kid hadn't almost died the last time their paths had crossed.

Tony addressed him a particularly unimpressed look, before raising an eyebrow as if to ask ‘anything else?’ and E.J. turned on his heels, quickly followed by his confused minions.

“Didn’t we save this kid’s life?”, Tony asked as he turned back towards Harley.

“Worst decision of my life so far.”, his friend replied, rolling his eyes.

“He should be worshipping you. I would know, I’m a professional superhero.”, Tony stated, only half-joking.

“Well I really don’t want to be.”, Harley said.

Tony huffed.

“That’s because you already are.”, he informed the younger man before taking a sip of his second ‘tea’.

“God, no -”, Harley protested immediately.

“You are.”, Tony said, placing a hand on the other’s knee to get his attention. Once he had it, he added: “To your mother, your sister -”

“You?”, Harley cut in.

He was joking but Tony took a moment to consider the question nonetheless: Harley had saved him more than once after all. That and he was sort of impressed by the way he had turned out.

“Me.”, Tony confirmed.

Harley chuckled lightly, looking away and Tony had to suppress the urge to grab his face and kiss him here and there. He couldn’t even blame the whiskey.

He got up instead and slammed a hundred on the counter next to his half-full drink.

“I’m beat, let’s go.”, he said when Harley looked back at him in surprise.

Next, his gaze fell on the dollar bill in front of him and Tony rolled his eyes. He could try to understand why Harley didn’t want Tony to give him millions but he wasn’t about to let him pay for an over-expensive coke, he only got because _he_ needed a drink.

“Come on.”, he added and his friend finally got up.

Tony caught Walker’s disapproving gaze as they put their coats back on and also he couldn’t blame him, neither did he resist his rebellious instinct and he smiled brightly at the man.

“I must admit, I’m not sure why this guy and your mom broke up.”, he stated as they walked back to Harley’s truck. “They seemed to have a lot of things in common. Hating me for once.”

He felt more than he saw Harley tense next to him.

“My mother doesn’t hate you.”, he replied tightly.

“She does.”, Tony said matter of factly. “But it’s fine. I tend to have that effect on people.”

Harley snorted.

“That I believe.”, he answered. “But really, this isn’t about you.”

“I’m a narcissist, things are always about me.”, Tony corrected him as they stopped next to their car.

“Not this time.”, Harley affirmed as he opened the passenger door for Tony who was left speechless for a few seconds. Not that he wasn’t used to the action but he hadn’t expected it from the younger man.

“So what is this all about then?”, Tony asked when Harley took his place behind the wheel.

Harley didn’t answer immediately. He turned the engine on and got on the road. Tony started to think maybe he had broken some kind of boundaries and Harley wasn’t going to reply at all, until :

“She is projecting, I guess.”, he said, then shrugged: “I mean, turning eighteen doesn’t magically make someone an adult. She definitely wasn’t despite being pregnant with me. She made a few mistakes and she is afraid I may make them too.”

“Are you?”, Tony asked before he could think better of it.

Harley chuckled briefly.

“Well, I’m not about to get any girl pregnant, that’s for sure.”, he joked. “I don’t believe I’m above doing anything stupid but I’m not like her either. I’m not a kid and I haven’t been for a while now.”

“You don’t look like one anymore, that’s for sure.”, Tony mumbled and his friend laughed. “I’m serious, what the hell happened to you? Was your father a thunder god? Did you become a supersoldier behind my back? Because that would be a deal-breaker -”

“I grew up.”, Harley cut in, both amused and slightly embarrassed.

“You look twenty-five.”, Tony stated not without sarcasm.

“You look forty-five.”, Harley shot back.

“Joke is on you cause I’m actually forty-six.”

Harley laughed again and Tony couldn’t help but feel proud of himself for the stupidest reason. Yet, in his tired state, he couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time he had made someone laugh and who it may have been. Definitely not Pepper, that was for sure...

“I know.”, Harley said.

“Do you?”, Tony asked.

Did he really? Did he see Tony for who he was? 

“I do.”, Harley almost whispered, his gaze briefly leaving the road to catch Tony’s, before immediately looking back. 

And Tony was tempted to believe him.

* * *

Tony almost didn’t make it back to the barn.

It had started to freeze outside and he slipped on a patch of ice as he followed Harley. He was lost in his thoughts and would have fallen if the younger man hadn’t turned in time to grab his arms. Which was how they ended up pressed against one another from head to toe, Harley leaning on the barn’s door and Tony on him. 

They were so close they couldn’t look at each other without their eyes crossing and it would have been just too easy for their lips to brush… except their noses got there first and Tony jumped back abruptly.

He cleared his throat, searching for something clever to say but, never got to it as Harley opened the barn’s door.

By the time Tony walked inside, Harley had disappeared into the bathroom. 

He changed back into the borrowed t-shirt and sweatpants before checking his phone. He was actually surprised by how long it had been since he last looked at it. 

Rhodey had tried to call him back a few times. Happy had sent him a picture of some beach. He ignored the calls and sent a simple thumbs-up emoji to his employee slash friend.

Compartmentalizing seemed like a good option. At least for now. 

Harley exited the bathroom not long after. He was frustratingly shirtless but the information barely registered in Tony’s mind as his host walked to the old couch without ever looking at him.

“I could take the couch -”, Tony said.

“Hell no, that thing isn’t aging well.”, Harley cut in.

He laid down and after a few more seconds, Tony sighed and got under the bed’s cover. Harley ordered whatever system he had going on to turn the lights off and soon Tony found himself staring at the ceiling. He quickly became hyper-aware of the repeated cracking and crunching sounds coming from the couch as Harley tried to find a comfortable position to sleep in.

“Really, if you’re planning to make that much noise, we may as well switch places -”, Tony piped up.

“I told you -”, Harley started.

“Just get in the freaking bed, Harls.”, Tony interrupted him, a little more forcefully than strictly necessary.

A silence fell on the room as what he said fully dawned on him. 

“We can share.”, he added.

It probably wasn’t his best idea and for a moment he thought Harley was going to reject it until he heard the couch’s creaking one more time and felt the other side of the bed dipped slightly.

It wasn’t like Tony would have been able to sleep anyway.

Harley didn’t say anything, keeping to his side of the mattress. He quickly fell asleep while Tony’s brain refused to shut off. He thought of Pepper, his parents, Steve, Barnes, Rhodey… It was an endless loop and he couldn’t have said how much time had passed when Harley turned towards him.

Tony watched his eyelashes flutter as he woke up and waited for his eyes to focus on him.

“Hey. Are you okay?”, Harley whispered sleepily.

Horrifyingly enough, the question brought tears to Tony’s eyes and he had to look away. He shrugged and blinked multiple times to gain back his control. 

“Do you want to talk about it?”, Harley asked, keeping his voice low.

“Not really.”, Tony muttered as he kept his gaze focused on the ceiling.

There was a pause and he thought maybe Harley had fallen back asleep but then he felt him move under the cover and one of the younger man’s hands came to hold Tony’s. It was light at first and became more definite as Tony showed no sign of rejection.

“I’m here if you change your mind.”, Harley concluded.

Overwhelmed, Tony didn’t answer but squeezed his hand lightly.


End file.
